


got a monster for your pocket

by amosanguis



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Alola-chihou | Alola Region (Pokemon), Alternate Universe - Pokemon Fusion, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Animal Death, Danny-centric, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Hawaii is Alola, M/M, New Jersey is Unova, Pokemon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-12 09:19:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29008182
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/amosanguis/pseuds/amosanguis
Summary: Danny looks up (and up and up and up) at the Exeggutor blocking traffic and can’t believe that this is his life now.
Relationships: Steve McGarrett & Danny "Danno" Williams & Grace Williams, Steve McGarrett/Danny "Danno" Williams
Comments: 4
Kudos: 51





	got a monster for your pocket

**Author's Note:**

> **warning** :  
> \--Part of this fic deals with the death of a senior pokemon (tagged as animal death); I know pokemon are basically immortal in the games and show, but this is all a little more real-world.
> 
>  **boring worldbuilding stuff** :  
> \--Blending Honolulu and Hau’oli City/Hawaii and Alola as much as I can.  
> \--Trainer journeys are like abbreviated sports seasons - broken up into age/experience groups - the beginners’ season lasts for three months during the summer; since it’s typically for teens (+13), the season coincides with time off from school. The super gung-ho trainers can complete a battle circuit in one season, but it’s more typical to take two or three seasons; if someone’s inclined towards poke research, then it may take up to four seasons since they're not battling as much.

-z-

Danny moves to Alola, landing in Hau’oli City of Melemele Island, with only Stoutland and Herdier and Emolga.

The first Pokémon he sees, even before leaving the airport, is a flock of what he later finds out are Oricorio dancing for the tourists – they’re different colors and dancing in different styles and Danny _hates_ them.

He never thought he’d miss a Pidove… and _yet_.

(Stoutland: like all police graduates, Danny received a Lillipup upon graduation from the academy. That Lillipup was now Stoutland - proud and graceful and always keeping an eye on Danny - waiting for an order, watching his back, anticipating any danger.

Herdier: had once belonged to Grace, Danny’s now-dead partner, and, never getting over the loss of his previous trainer, the once jolly Pokémon was now overly serious and seemingly stuck in its current evolution.

Emolga: he doesn’t so much as catch Emolga as she’d seen him chasing a suspect down the streets of Black City and decided to help him out; after that, she’d put herself in a conveniently empty pokeball on Danny’s belt - the one that was supposed to be for emergencies.)

-

Danny looks up (and up and up and up) at the Exeggutor blocking traffic and can’t believe that this is his life now.

The next day, he’s dive-bombed by a Pikipek and Meka is only _just_ able to stop him from ordering Stoutland from his ball to _crunch_ the thing into oblivion.

-

The first time Danny meets Steve, he’s looking at Steve down the barrel of his gun - Stoutland snarling in front of him, ready to take down the Primarina standing deadly and still in front of her trainer.

Danny hates him.

Danny hates Steve and he hates this case and he hates this island and its stupid pokemon and its stupid ocean.

Then Steve goes and gets Danny shot and Danny hates him even more.

“Um, she can swim with the Popplio and Brionne,” Steve says, scratching at the back of his neck, seemingly nervous that Danny will simply throw the tickets back in face.

Danny, looking at the tickets then looking at Steve, feels his hate subside as he says, “Thanks.”

Steve meets his eyes, smiles, then he nods once and swiftly turns and walks away - and Danny watches him go.

And it feels like the start of something.

-

Danny glares at the Rattata, fat and gray instead of lean and purple, sitting on his kitchen counter and tells himself over and over just how much he loves Grace.

With Danny’s mom comes Braviary, who’d been on a breeding loan to a cousin who wanted to get her little girl a Rufflet to bond with before she started her second season in the Unova circuit. Danny had been hesitant - Rufflets weren’t exactly easy to handle for a new trainer - but he’d relented after meeting the girl and seeing the team she’d already put together.

Danny accepts the pokeball from his mother - and Braviary must hear his voice because he’s suddenly bursting from the ball and Danny’s fellow airport patrons have a few choice words they spit at him as soon as they recover their footing, having been knocked to the floor by Braviary’s not inconsiderable wingspan.

Danny ignores them as he coos into Braviary’s feathers, the large bird pushing his head into the center of Danny’s chest.

The Rattata stop coming around.

-

There’s a shriek from the backyard and Steve and Danny fly from the kitchen and out to the lanai just in time to see Stoutland facing down Braviary, standing over Grace’s new Scorbunny, who herself is looking an odd mix of stunned and miffed that she needed defending.

“You can’t eat the rabbit,” Danny shouts even as he looks around for Braviary’s pokeball - the bird was obviously tired if he’d try something like that.

“He’s _not_ trying to eat him,” Grace yells, walking up to Stoutland and pushing against the large pokemon to retrieve her Scorbunny. She looks at Stoutland and then at Danny and Steve and says, “They were just playing, Danno.”

She then explains that Scorbunny had blown a few embers at Braviary who, upon noticing a few singed feathers, spread his wings open wide and began to peck at Scorbunny.

“But I’ve seen him fight,” Grace says, gesturing to Braviary, “like, fight for real. He was moving slow enough to let Scorbunny get out of the way.”

Behind her, Braviary was standing tall, looking quite proud of himself. Stoutland at least had the decency to look ashamed for having overreacted. A little bit, anyway. Stoutland was rarely ashamed of anything he did.

Danny rolls his eyes and pulls Steve with him back into the house to finish making dinner.

-

“What’re you doing?” Danny asks, dread in his voice.

Steve doesn’t stop, just carefully finishes wrapping the Marowak in a cloth and lifts the Marowak into his arms, as he stands on his own unsteady legs.

“Steve--”

“She’s hurt, Danny,” Steve says.

“Yeah, we’re all hurt,” Danny points out, waving his hand behind himself around to indicate the recently exploded cabin behind them, courtesy of a (thankfully, rather small) Electrode, the blast radius of which had caught an unlucky Marowak who’d been happening by. “But that _thing_ ,” Danny jabs a finger at the Marowak, “is wild and as soon as it wakes up, it’s gonna bash your brains in with its club.”

Steve rolls his eyes. “I can’t just leave her here. It’s our fault--”

“The _hell_ it is--”

“--that she got hurt in the first place. The least we can do is get her to a Center.”

Danny throws his hands up.

Danny’s Stoutland was with Grace and Scorbunny for some training thing, but Herdier had been injured in the blast; Braviary was with Chin’s Decidueye, the two of them tasked earlier in the day to search for the suspect’s car; and Danny has just sent Emolga to find Braviary, knowing that he and Steve would need help down the mountain.

Steve’s Primarina had done what she could - she’d heard Herdier’s warning bark as the Electrode had begun to glow, and burst from her ball, circling the two humans both in a protective wall of water just in time; she’d unfortunately left herself wide open and taken the brunt of the blast. Steve's Bewear, with both Primarina and Herdier down for the count, would be incredibly useful right now - but he was at the house, recovering from an incident last week that involved an argument between a pair of volatile trainers and their surfing Raichu.

Danny sighs as he and Steve, after making sure everyone was secured in their respective pokeballs, begin to slowly pick their way down the mountain, Danny casting his eyes to the sky - searching for that familiar shape of Braviary.

“Can’t you at least put it in a ball?” Danny asks after a few steps - pained at the sight of Steve, limping from injury, but refusing to put down the damned Marowak.

Steve gives him a look, says, “When’s the last time you think I carried a new pokeball? You know she won’t be able to be captured in a used one.”

“You’re supposed to be prepared!”

Steve ignores him.

Marowak stirs a few times in Steve’s arms and Danny holds his breath, but the creature never opens its eyes. Danny is just breathing a sigh of relief when Braviary’s familiar shadow passes over them.

The thing wakes just as Steve is surrendering it to the nurse at the Center and, before it can get too agitated, Steve says, “Don’t worry, okay? They’re going to fix you up and send you back home. No one’s going to put you in a ball.”

And, because Steve’s just lucky and the universe is conspiring to always prove Danny wrong, Marowak not only _doesn’t_ bash Steve’s brains in, but seems to, instead, fall in love with Steve right then and there (disturbed, Danny realizes he recognizes the feeling).

Three days after dropping it off at the Center, after Steve and Danny have caught the bad guys and made Alola just a little bit safer, Marowak shows up at Steve’s door, twirling its bone club in a way that Danny can only describe as _showing off_.

Steve shares a look with Primarina and then he opens his arms and says to Marowak, “We’d love to have you.”

Danny, frustratingly, is charmed by the scene.

-

Danny’s eyes are half-closed against the setting sun, a beer resting on his thigh as he slumps a little more into his chair, listening to the soft sounds of Steve coming out onto the lanai and the waves lapping at their private stretch of beach and Emolga, curled up for a nap against Danny’s neck, chattering her teeth in quiet contentment.

It’s the least Danny’s missed Unova in a long time.

-

This time, there’s nothing Primarina can do.

Danny huffs a laugh, blowing out dust and dirt, ignoring the pain in his chest and his leg and that definite one in his side, and says to Steve, “We need more burrowing pokemon if this is going to become a habit.”

“I’ll get you a Diglett,” Steve says, looking around for something he can use to leverage the concrete off Danny.

The space was too small and too cramped for any of their pokemon to be of use. Too small and too cramped. Toosmall and toocramped. Toosmalltoocramped. Toosmall--

“Hey, _hey_ ,” Steve’s shouting, clapping his hands in front of Danny’s eyes, disturbing more dust and dirt, “I need you to stay with me, Danny. Okay? Stay with me, buddy.”

Danny nods and takes a breath, tries to focus on just Steve.

Danny laughs when he sees the rebar sticking out of his side.

“God,” he breathes, lolling his head to the side so he wasn’t looking at it anymore, “that’s hilarious.”

“You’re delirious.”

“You’re too serious.” Danny chuckles at his rhyme - thinking it was quite clever, but, from the look on Steve’s face, Steve doesn’t agree.

“Can’t believe you want to blow us up,” Danny says, “just when I was starting to _like_ this place.”

Steve smirks at him, asks, “Oh, really?”

And Danny, before he can stop himself, before he can twist the tenor of his voice to hide his earnestness, finds himself meeting Steve’s eyes and says, soft, “Yeah, really.”

Steve ducks his head and the smirk has turned into a smile.

Danny could make a joke, say something snide about the pizza or the water or the way the pokemon look so different here from what he’s used to - there’s a thousand things, and they’re all right there on the tip of his tongue, they always are - but today, in this moment, he bites down on them, and just watches the way Steve smiles to himself as he works, basking in this little victory on behalf of Alola.

Steve says the words and before Danny can properly muster the courage to say them back, Steve blows them up.

Except not really.

Except there they are, topside, the Alolan sun shining bright upon them.

This time, Danny doesn’t waste a second as he reaches out and pulls Steve in, whispering into Steve’s neck, “I love you, too.”

-

It’s amazing, Danny thinks, the way time so easily slips by him.

Before he can even blink, Grace is thirteen and she and Scorbunny are beginning their first battle season on the Alolan circuit. Danny and Steve both check and recheck her pack, making sure she has spares of everything.

Rachel will be the one to see her off officially in the morning, since Danny and Steve have a case that’s got the governor all twisted up. But Danny still takes this moment and relishes in it.

Danny never did the circuits himself - he always knew that police work was his calling and so never saw the point in it. Grace, however, wants to follow in Rachel’s footsteps - she wants to _compete_. She has plans to finish the Alolan circuit in three years, hopefully two, then finish high school, before returning to Unova and competing there. After that, she wanted to go to Galar, Rachel’s home circuit and Scorbunny’s birthplace, and compete there.

It was a lot but Danny was willing to support her.

“Just remember to visit me, please?” Danny says to her, just before she gets into the car that’ll take her to Rachel’s. “I’m going to be all alone on this island.”

“You won’t be alone,” Grace says as she hugs him, “You have Uncle Steve, Danno.”

Danny laughs into her hair, catches Steve’s eye and they smile at each other over his daughter’s head. “Yeah, I guess so. But you’ll still visit?”

“ _Yes,_ ” she says, rolling her eyes but still not quite able to hide her smile. “The season’s only for three months. I’ll be back before you know it!”

Danny sighs and doesn’t say anything more as he watches her leave. He wouldn’t be allowed to interfere after this point - neither could his nor Steve’s pokemon. All pokemon she used in battles as a trainer had to be caught by her own hand (or inherited by a deceased family member, which, despite Steve’s best attempts, hopefully wouldn’t happen anytime soon).

Steve lets Danny have a moment that lasts until the car has disappeared around the corner - then he’s taking Danny by the hand and pulling him inside.

-

“Hey, how’s he doing?” Steve asks Danny one day, jerking his head in Herdier’s direction - the pokemon himself sitting outside, napping in the sun, curled up next to Stoutland.

“What do you mean?” Danny asks.

“He’s, what? Pushing fourteen?” Steve elaborates. “It can’t be healthy for him to still be at that second evolution.”

Danny sighs and shrugs.

“I don’t know what to do with him, babe,” he says. “The specialists all say he’ll evolve when he’s ready, but the Lillipup line is especially prone to TIDEs.”

TIDE. Trauma-Induced Delayed Evolution. It was a nice way of saying that a pokemon, for better or worse, may not make it to their final evolutionary stage - which, while not necessarily affecting overall quality of life, may mean they won’t live to their full life-expectancy. A Stoutland’s lifespan is between thirty to thirty-five years - a Herdier's is half of that.

So Danny’s Herdier is very much nearing the end if something didn’t change soon, but Danny had no way to push the issue. At least, no way he was comfortable with. There had been some suggestions from the specialists about pushing Herdier to his limit, either through battling or environmental challenges, but Danny had dismissed the notion.

Herdier was a police pokemon - what he deals with every day is challenge enough.

“He just is what he is,” Danny says. Beside him, Steve can only nod.

Herdier’s ears twitch and his eyes open slowly, then he lifts his head and looks at Danny - their eyes meeting through the window.

Danny looks away.

Herdier starts sleeping more, playing less.

It gets harder for him to stand.

At this point, a specialist says, Herdier might not be able to evolve even if he wanted to.

“It’s okay, old dog,” Danny says, petting Herdier’s head gently with one hand as his other hand lays across Herdier’s back - stopping the pokemon from standing. “You don’t have to come to work today. Stay here and watch the house for us?”

Danny watches it happen - can’t look away as Herdier’s heart breaks right there in front of him.

“Hey,” Danny says, soft, taking Herdier’s head between his hands and making sure the pokemon was looking at him, “it’s okay, buddy. You’ve done so much good. It’s time to rest now.”

Herdier whines and Danny presses a kiss to the pokemon’s forehead.

A week passes and if anything Herdier seems to grow stronger in his retirement, but Danny doesn’t let himself hope.

Then comes a morning when Herdier doesn’t eat his food. Danny shares a look with Steve and Steve squeezes Danny’s shoulder and gives Herdier a gentle scritch behind the ears before he heads into the office without Danny.

Herdier slips away that afternoon, drifting to sleep at Danny’s feet.

Gently, Danny wraps Herdier in a blanket and drives him out to a crematorium - where he’s greeted by a gentle islander and two Marowaks. Danny fills out the paperwork and looks through the catalogue, orders a nice little mahogany box with a nameplate, and a clay imprint of Herdier’s paw print. Then Danny says one more goodbye before the Marowaks step forward.

When Steve gets home that day, he finds Danny at the table, a beer at his elbow, looking down at his receipt from the crematorium and Herdier’s open, empty pokeball.

“I’m sorry,” Steve says.

Danny nods. “Thanks,” he says, “what’re you gonna do, though, huh? They can’t all live forever. I was never gonna be able to replace Grace as his trainer - I knew that.” Danny chuckles. “They were a pair, Steve, you shoulda seen it.”

Steve sits across from Danny, says, “I bet they were. Tell me about it?”

And Danny does.

That evening, out on the beach, Steve’s Marowak dances in mourning - lit by the silver moonlight and a green flame.

-

Grace had left with a Scorbunny and, three months later, at the end of the season, she returns with a Raboot and victories over two of the Island Kahunas - Hala of Melemele Island and Olivia of Akala Island.

When Danny tells her about Herdier, shows her the box and paw print, the latter of which he gives to her, Grace gently puts her arms around Danny’s neck and says, “I’m sorry, Danno.”

Danny hugs her back before he pulls away and asks for stories about her summer.

Grace launches into stories about other trainers she met and battled, the towns she’s visited, and the pokemon she’s seen and captured. They talk long into the evening - Grace telling some of the stories over when Steve comes home from his day of meetings, accompanied by Chin and Kono and Kamekona and Flippa, all of them bearing welcome home gifts.

They all spill out onto the beach, human and pokemon alike.

And Danny, looking around himself, feeling Steve burning at his side, watching as Kono and Grace swap even more stories about life on the summer roads, listening to Emolga taunting Primarina into a battle just to flee - Danny can’t picture himself anywhere else.

-z-

End.


End file.
